Portugal: Law Firms Benefitting From Portuguese Real Estate Boom

€1.9bn worth of deals in the last year means law firms
have experienced a surge in instructions, with some recruiting more
lawyers to meet demand

Commercial real estate transactions in Portugal hit an all-time
high in 2015 – totalling €1.9 billion – and the
level of activity is set to continue, according to leading law
firms, many of which have experienced an increase in instructions
and are bolstering their teams to meet client demand.

Investment has been fuelled by Portugal's economic recovery and
the restoration of investor confidence, in addition to the
so-called 'golden visa' programme, under which Portugal
granted more than 760 visas in 2015.

"We started feeling the first signs of recovery in 2013, when
investors regained confidence in the market and returned,"
according to Tiago Mendonça de Castro, the partner who heads
PLMJ's real estate practice in Lisbon.

In addition to the spike in commercial real estate deals,
Mendonça de Castro adds that a large proportion of
investment has been in residential real estate, especially high-end
value homes not normally accessible to Portuguese investors. The
golden visa programme has also been a key determining factor, as
well as the tax exemption programme for foreign senior
citizens.

"Portugal is an attractive market for retired foreign
citizens," Mendonça de Castro says. He adds that
Europeans are the main investors, but says a significant amount of
investment comes from the US and China, with around 80 per cent of
golden visas awarded to investors from the latter. "With this
level of demand, Portugal started seeing supply problems, and
construction restarted, as well as renovations,"
Mendonça de Castro says.

Investors have sought to take advantage of tax benefits for the
conversion of old buildings into hotels, with more than 20 new
hotels opening in central Lisbon in the last two years. This was in
response to the country's lack of supply amid a tourism boom,
in which visitor numbers have increased up by 10 per cent. There is
also significant interest in vineyards and olive farms in southern
Portugal, according to Mendonça de Castro.

Competitive yields
Duarte Garin, partner at Uría Menéndez-Proença
de Carvalho, says that, while there is considerable liquidity in
European markets, it is becoming more difficult to acquire real
estate in other countries, and that "when you compare the
yields, they are much more attractive in Portugal". He adds
that concerns about leaving the Eurozone have also subsided, which
has further increased Portugal's appeal.

The retail real estate sector is also booming due to tourism and a
recovery in high-end consumerism, a trend that is creating big
opportunities for luxury brands seeking to expand into Portugal,
according to Mendonça de Castro. He also echoes the view
that Lisbon's more competitive yields – in comparison
with other European cities – makes the city a big draw for
investors.

While some argue that cheaper real estate in Portugal is a key
driver of investor interest, Filipa Arantes Pedroso, partner at
MLGTS argues that the stronger economy, rather than low prices, is
the reason for the surge in real estate investment. "Prices
are not so low, but it's a very secure country, the economy is
growing and there are many tax benefits," she says. Arantes
Pedroso says her firm has also seen an enormous increase in work
and is currently looking to expand the real estate team.

Lawyers see the current trend continuing, and law firms are growing
their real estate practices to cope with the extra business. PLMJ,
for example, recently recruited an additional real estate lawyer to
meet demand. "There are deals still in the pipeline amounting
to half of the investments last year, across all real estate
sectors," Mendonça de Castro says.

Meanwhile, Mendonça de Castro highlights that fees have
returned to ´2010-11 levels´. "We can now select
which clients we want to work with," he concludes.

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